(Eagle News) — The Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) celebrates its 104th anniversary today, July 27, 2018, which also marks the 50th year of its foreign mission.
The highlight of celebrations worldwide will be the dedication of a new House of Worship in Ewa Beach in Hawaii to be officiated by INC Executive Minister Brother Eduardo V. Manalo.
The dedication of the 810-seater house of worship in Ewa Beach is particularly significant as this was where the first local congregation of the INC, outside of the Philippines, was established 50 years ago, particularly on July 27, 1968.
The steel and concrete structure is built on a three-acre property on Fort Weaver Rd., Ewa Beach, Oahu.
The Church Of Christ purchased the property in 2011 from the Calvary Baptist Church, and subsequently built the house of worship from the ground up, becoming the largest INC house of worship constructed outside of the Philippines, with an architectural style unique to the INC chapels.
“We will celebrate the 50th anniversary of our first church abroad solemnly and joyfully. Our Executive Minister Brother Eduardo V. Manalo has expressed a desire for us to be introspective, to be thankful and to fully contemplate the weight of this momentous occasion while at the same time being mindful of the challenge for continued growth and evangelization,” INC general auditor Glicerio B. Santos Jr. said.
It was in Ewa Beach that the INC held its first worship service outside of the Philippines on July 27, 1968. This was officiated by the late Executive Minister Eraño G. Manalo, the father of the current Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo.
Soon after, the INC also established another local congregation in San Francisco, California. Since that time, the INC now has around 7,000 local congregations spread in 143 countries, its membership consisting of 133 ethnic groups and nationalities.
The Church has phenomenally grown and actively expanded in mainland America and Canada, as well as in many parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.
“Since September 2009, we inaugurated and dedicated 83 churches in various parts of the world. We never stop reaching out to members who are based abroad, Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike, because the work of God never stops. It reaches beyond national borders,” noted the INC General Auditor.
After the anniversary event and celebrations in Hawaii, the INC will hold a special worship service at the 17,000-capacity Golden One Arena in downtown Sacramento in California on August 5.
Santos announced that 22 new houses of worship would be dedicated in the continental US and Canada for July, August, and September this year.
They are in the following areas: Anchorage (Alaska), Antioch (North West California), Bristol (Connecticut), Cocoa Beach (Florida), Copperas Cove (Texas), Detroit (Michigan), Everett, Spokane (Washington), High Point (North Carolina), Oxnard, Salinas, Stockton, El Cajon, Ridge Crest (California), Tucson (Arizona), Henderson (Nevada) as well as Toronto, Halifax, Saskatchewan (Canada).
As part of the Pacific islands outreach, there would also be new churches in Waipahu, Hawaii and in Apra Heights, Guam.
The INC will also hold a big Lingap (Aid to Humanity) assistance activity in Canada to benefit the Winnipeg Native American Community in August, to be followed by another humanitarian mission in Toronto in September.
Just this July 15, the Church also conducted a large medical-dental and evangelical mission called “Lingap Laban sa Kahirapan” or Aid to Fight Poverty in Manila.
“The Iglesia has become more conscious and more aware of the central role that the Church plays in our members’ lives as we grow older and bigger. We try to touch the lives of people, we help in whatever small ways we can. We’re humbled and grateful for the gains of the first fifty years overseas. We’re excited by the challenges of the next fifty. To God be the glory! ” Santos said.
In Hawaii, government officials also recognized the importance of the INC or the Church Of Christ.
“I know what the Church (of Christ) does, not just for its members but also for our community as a whole. I’ve always said one of our greatest assets in our community is our churches,” Honolulu City Council Chair Ernie Martin emphasized during a recent appreciation Day visit of INC members to public officials at City Hall.
Having personally participated or witnessed the Church’s recent outreach efforts, the Council Presiding Officer who also represents Oahu Island’s North Shore, also acknowledged the impact that Church of Christ members have made throughout Oahu and even the entire state.
“I’ve been there for the blood drive. I and my wife actually went to (the) Waipahu church (congregation),” he said.
“I know also of the clothing drive as well, to help the less fortunate in our community, and a lot of other works that the Church has done not necessarily as a group effort but even just the individual members in terms of a giving heart. All of us are very appreciative of it.”
Earlier this year, the city council of Honolulu also presented the Church Of Christ with a certificate of recognition for its extensive and dedicated public service in Hawaii and throughout the world.
“It was an honor for the council members to honor the Iglesia Ni Cristo and the many efforts the Church has done for members throughout our city,” said Heidi Tsuneyoshi, Senior Advisor of Honolulu Council Members.
“The more that [the Church] grows, the better for the state, (and) the better for society as a whole,” said Hawaii State Senator Will Espero.
“It’s providing an opportunity for our many individuals who may not have that opportunity to be part of a church or a family, and this is a way that the Church can grow here in Hawaii and continue its mission in serving Christ,” he added.
Since July 1968, there are now 23 local congregations across the state of Hawai’i and the U.S. territory of American Samoa.
In 2018, seven more local congregations were established in Hawaii, namely Kalihi, Waimanalo, Pearl City, Kunia, Hilo, Kihei and North Shore.
On the 50th anniversary of its expansion into the Western world, the Church will also hold a world-class musical depicting the Church’s history over the last 104 years, and progress in the West, at the Honolulu Blaisdell Arena.
Members of the Church from around the world will be traveling to the area to join the celebrations.
(Eagle News Service with an INC-PIO release)
